Amazing Race - Phuket

This is definitely good for reality TV and as good as the amazing race, except that we have no idea how many teams there are. Woke up this morning not knowing if our flight could take off since the Phuket airport remains closed. While arranging for possible way out of Phuket, we met people on the same boat as ourselves and frantically trying to make our ways out of Phuket. We were given several ideas and of which, the idea to make a road trip up to Bangkok stayed etched and similarly with the other travelers, we were all trying to make our way to Bangkok International Airport.

The catch: The ride is at least a good 10 hours on a route we didn’t know if it was safe and it was the road less traveled. Together with 4 other desperate travelers, we booked a van to take us to Bangkok but that would set us back by another SGD800 but money at this point in time, didn’t mattered that much. We wanted to get out real bad! Unfortunately, an American couple left their luggage at some train station and they wouldn’t get there in time to grab their luggage before they set off on their planned flight in Bangkok. For Fongster and me, it’s ridiculous to go on a more than 10 hours unknown trip when we could just wait to travel home on a 1.5hour flight. Well, that was a problem as we have no idea when exactly would the Phuket airport be opened. We were playing a waiting game, waiting for God to take pity on us.

News of the Phuket airport opening excited us and we have decided to come straight to the airport even if it means aimlessly waiting for a flight to fly out to Singapore or Bangkok. The next flight to Singapore from Bangkok was either 7pm tonight or 7am tomorrow morning. Either way, we needed to get our arses to Bangkok. So we camped here in the Silkair office as the Thai Airways authorities refused to entertain us. Even as a Star Alliance member, holding a SQ ticket got us nowhere.

News of the Thai airways landing would also mean other planes could land. By then, Silkair would send their planes here. That would be another hour later so we waited and had our lunch at Burger King. After lunch, we continued with bugging the Silkair ticketing girl. That paid off and while on an attempt to change our flight out from Bangkok to flying out of Phuket on Silkair straight back to Singapore, she managed to confirm a flight for us in a few hours time. Now, while keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that the airport remains open and flights could take off and land safely, I’m waiting patiently to get my butt on that MI flight and my arms around Shadow Hell Rider.

Stamped: 4.27pm Phuket time, Phuket International Airport